Tobuscus in the Witch's House
by TheLegHairSongJr IV
Summary: Tobuscus is bored and drags good ol' Gabuscus along to cure him of said boredom. After an epic game of frisbee, the two find themselves in a mysterious place with no way to go but forward. Joined by Gryphon and a strange blonde girl, can these bumbling idiots get out of there alive, or more importantly, with their sanity intact?
1. Curiosity Killed the Boredom

Tobuscus in the Witch's House

Chapter 1: Curiosity Killed the Boredom

Getting to know the author: I am trying to write this from my phone. If you can't read this, please let me know so I can try to fix it. Also, this is my first fic. Good luck, Me!

It was a beautiful sunny day in the city. Birds were chirping, kids were laughing, and little Tim Tim was busy doing hard physical labor. Timmy was still grounded for setting his house on fire, using a bunch of water bottles to put out said fire, then failing to explain to his parents why some stranger named Tobuscus sent them a poorly written letter demanding $500 for safety torches and water.

Anyway, this isn't a story about poor Tim Tim. This story revolves around our favorite let's player/heelie enthusiast/self aware sellout/one-man four-part harmony/I think you get it already. Somehow, on this most gorgeous of days, our hero found himself-

"...Boooooored!" Tobuscus groaned to his overly muscular friend, Gabuscus.

"So? Not my problem." Replied Gabuscus, who was killing his boredom by reading this latest issue of Super Muscle Monthly, the front cover of which read "Can one have muscles too big? Studies say no."

"Let's do something. Why would you keep coming to my house just to sit around and read your stupid magazine waiting for me to complain about being bored if you weren't secretly bored yourself?" Tobuscus asked. "You're a terrible guest."

"Or maybe you're just a terrible host." Replied an annoyed Gabuscus. "It's your job to entertain and you're the bored one. I'm simply content."

"But can't you read your stuff at your house? Why keep coming here if you're so content? "

Gabuscus couldn't think of an argument to Tobuscus' surprising logic.

"Ok! You win! Let's do something!" He conceded.

"Ha! I knew you'd see things my way! Let's go to the park!"

Gabuscus, remembering all the other things they did when boredom struck, smiled a little. "That actually sounds safe...and legal...and very unlikely that something weird will happen. Alright. Let's go!"

An hour later, the pair were at the nearest park tossing a frisbee around. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. That is, until Tobuscus felt the boredom start to sink in once again. He had an idea to rid himself of that feeling after making a rather impressive acrobatic catch with his mouth. Gabuscus applauded him, genuinely impressed.

"I'm getting bored again!" He whined. "Time to spice things up a bit!"

"Wait! What? Why?" Questioned Gabuscus, "I'm actually having fun. We don- what are you doing?"

Tobuscus pulled a bottle of tobasco sauce seemingly out of nowhere and doused the frisbee with it.

"I'm not catching that. What are you doing now?"

Tobuscus took about a hundred steps backwards, stepping all over a romantic picnic and causing a twelve car pile-up in the parking lot in the process.

Gabuscus just facepalmed and sighed. "Figures."

After setting up his unnecessarily long running start, Tobuscus sprinted about twenty steps before jumping up and performing all sorts of spins and flips. Before throwing the frisbee, he yelled "SUPER TOBUSCUS TOBASCUS FRISBEE TOSS!"

It flew at Gabuscus almost too fast. He screamed in terror as he ducked just in time to avoid the speedy death disc. The wind picked it up just after it flew by and carried it for what seemed like half a mile.

"Aw, man! You were supposed to catch that!" whined Tobuscus.

"That was gonna kill me! What the hell is wrong with you!" Yelled Gabuscus in a rage he only ever felt around his aloof green-shirted friend.

"Hey now. Don't blame me for the fact that you suck at this game. You could have easily caught that." calmly stated an oblivious Tobuscus. "Anyway, it's getting late. We should get the frisbee and go home.

"You mean that thing that's now ruined, disgusting, and is pretty much garbage now?"

"If we leave it there, we'll just be a couple of litterbugs. I can't have the environment's death weighing on my conscience. Besides, I don't want to pay $6 for a new one."

Defeated, Gabuscus sighed and followed his friend to where the frisbee landed. It landed right next to a tree stump. The area was surrounded by a plethora of trees too thick to traverse. There was a walking path through the area and a single large tree stood near a patch of flowers. On the stump stood-

"Gryphon! I've been wondering where you went off to all day!" Smiled Tobuscus as he went to hug his shih tzu. However, he was stopped by-

"And yet you never came to look for me?" Gryphon asked. "You're the worst owner ever."

This made the two buscuses(?) jump. "You can talk!?" shouted Tobuscus.

"I could always talk, moron." replied Gryphon. "What made you think I couldn't?"

"Well, you're a dog, for one" said Gabuscus.

"Specist!(sp?)" Was Gryphon's response.

"Wait." Said Tobuscus. "Aren't you just using the voice I give you in my videos?"

"Yes. Since you do a perfect impression of me, I have allowed you to continue speaking on my behalf. Also, humans suck and I hate talking to them."

"Fine. If you want to keep your ability to talk a secret, we can do that." Said Gabuscus impatiently. "Now, can we please go home? It's getting late."

The trio began walking back the way they came. Shortly, however, they discovered that the way back was blocked by a wall of thorned roses that appeared to be about twenty feet tall and at least six feet thick. Climbing over and crawling through weren't options.

"This rusty machete won't work." Said Tobuscus.

"Where did you get that?" asked Gabuscus.

Tobuscus just shrugged. He was just as confused as his purple-shirted friend.

"Peeing on it does nothing, either." Gryphon said.

"Hmmm..." Tobuscus was deep in thought "Have you tried humping it?"

The thought of humping thorned roses frightened the shih tzu. Hurting from the mere thought of such an act caused him to yelp in pain and run away.

Figuring that they couldn't go this way, the two men decided to follow Gryphon. While pursuing their small friend, they ran into a much smaller rose bush. Tobuscus instinctively cut through it, they half sighed/half groaned as the machete, which he named "Rusty McMurderson," fell apart.

About a minute after giving chase, they found their companion sitting on yet another stump. In this area, the only other thing that caught their eyes was a rather large mansion. It had to be a good five stories tall.

"This must be DotDotDotDotDot's house." Stated Tobuscus.

"Who's DotDotDotDotDot and how do you know that? Asked Gabuscus.

"There was a sign back there. I don't know who DotDotDotDotDot is, but he/she must be loaded. Let's go in and see if they got some food. I'm famished"

Gabuscus was going to protest, but then stopped himself upon realising that the residents here may know a way out of this place. He was also pretty hungry and the idea of a free meal sounded nice.

"You gonna go in?" Asked Gryphon.

The two guys looked back at the dog and nodded.

"You might as well, since you can't leave." Gryphon suggested.

The front door opened slowly on it's own. A bit creeped out by this, the guys gulped and cautiously proceeded inside.

What horrors await our heroes in this strange mansion? Will Gryphon join them and be of any help? Will they remember to take the tobasco covered frisbee back home with them? Find out in the next chapter?


	2. Heaven? Nope You're Still Here

Chapter 2: Heaven? Nope. You're Still Here.

Getting to know the author: growing up, I played Jeopardy with my mother all the time. She constantly kicked my ass, though there were those rare occasions when I would be victorious.

The two men entered the house and found an empty room, save for two red rugs that appeared to have bell-shaped patterns. One rug was used by the pair to wipe their feet. The other one lay between them and another door. A silver candlestick holding three lit candles hang on either side of said door, which was straight ahead.

"Hello?" called out Gabuscus. "Sorry for just walking in like this, but we're lost. If you could just tell us how to get out of these woods, we'll be on our way."

"And do you have any food?" asked Tobuscus. "I'm really hungry and I know it wasn't nice of us to just walk in without your permission but could you feed us anyway?" he blurted out.

"Don't say that! I already feel like a jerk as it is, despite-"

"Oooooh! What if it's a surprise party for me?" Tobuscus interrupted.

"This is a complete stranger's house. Why would they-"

"And you took me out to play frisbee as a distraction." Tobuscus then gasped with excitement. His eyes began to well up as he went to hug his friend. "Gabuscus, you shouldn't have!" he sobbed.

Gabuscus snapped "Yes! I'm throwing a surprise party for you! It's for the twenty thousandth time you've annoyed me!" Unbeknownst to him, Tobuscus has been keeping track and it really was accurate.

"You've been counting, just like me." said a smiling Tobuscus as he finally let up on the death grip hug. "Okay. I'll totally act surprised when I walk in. Let's go!"

Gabuscus began to protest the idea of delving even deeper into a complete stranger's house, but was pulled into the next room by Tobuscus before his mouth could form the words. This room had no rugs or candlesticks. There was, however, a large red circular platform in the center of the room. This platform was slightly raised, almost as if it were a-

"Button!" Tobuscus shouted as he ran toward it. "Does this make all the guests appear?"

"Don't!" yelled Gabuscus.

Tobuscus stepped on the button, causing the walls to close in quickly, crushing the life out of both of them. Our heroes have failed in their seemingly tedious task of picking up a frisbee and going home.

Or have they?

Gabuscus' eyes opened to the view of a beautiful moonlit sky. He felt the gentle touch the flowers that flowed in the night breeze. The smell of nature all around him was soothing, almost soothing enough to make him forgive his friend for getting him killed. Speaking of which, he sat up to check the area and-

"Oh, come on!" he half shouted, half whined. "Even in death, I can't get away from you!" he sighed "So this is my eternal fate, stuck in Hell with the man that killed me."

"What makes you so sure we're in Hell?" asked Tobuscus. "Is it because I say 'God dang it!' all the time? To be honest, I was wondering if doing that would lose points with the Big Man."

"Well, now you have your answer, which doesn't help now tha- wait. What's your frisbee doing here?"

"Noooo!" cried Tobuscus. "Discbuscus! You didn't deserve this fate!" He was now crying and hugging the tobasco and ant covered frisbee.

"What? Discbu-" Gabuscus then found his train of thought. "I'm gonna go look around. This all seems too familiar."

Sure enough, a short walk south revealed the huge rose wall that prevented them from leaving. Nearby was a rusty machete, which answered Gabuscus' question about it's whereabouts. After walking north, cutting the rose bush, and watching the machete break again (causing Tobuscus to briefly mourn the death of Happy Killslice), they stood before the house once more.

"So, did we die?" pondered Tobuscus. "Or did we simply dream that we were never even here to begin with?"

"You died, you morons. Before the first save point, too. Wow! You're pathetic!" chimed in Gryphon, sitting on the tree stump.

"What, like a video game save point?" asked Gabuscus with a look of skepticism.

"Exactly." Gryphon went on to explain. "I can save your progression through the house so you don't have to start your journey from way back here. That is, if you can find me before dying again."

"So...how are we immortal?" asked Tobuscus.

"If you were immortal, then you wouldn't have died, stupid." replied Gryphon. "I feel a strange magic around this place. Something to be feared. I can't quite explain it, but it's as if the house is calling out to you two. Maybe it needs help. Maybe it wants to amuse itself by killing you over and over. Either way, that's all I can offer as far as some vague explanation of why you'll come back to life. As long as the magic around here lingers, you'll always come back. Can I have my treat now?"

"Ooooh, I'm sorry, buddy." said Tobuscus. "I didn't think to bring any with me."

With that, Gryphon ran south toward the rose wall. Tobuscus was about to give chase, but Gabuscus stopped him.

"Let him go." he suggested. "He's just as stuck here as we are. Besides, he's our save point. We'll see him inside."

The pair walked straight on through to the second room, exaggerating their walk around the button just to be sure not to set it off. Tobuscus then read aloud the piece of paper taped to the far wall.

"Come to my room? Wow, this guy or girl is direct. And freak-aaaay!" Tobuscus sang out that last word as he tore the paper down.

Suddenly, they heard a loud scream accompanied by loud hurried footsteps.

"Oh no! That girl or woman is in trouble! I gotta save her!" Tobuscus went to run to her aid, but-

"The very first puzzle in that house is literally 'Don't step here!' What do you do? Step there...twice!" screamed a fuming Gabuscus.

"But the possible hothothothot needed my help." Tobuscus whined. "This time, I'll just- ew! Gryphon! No!"

"Next time, come prepared with the treats, dummy!" Gryphon warned as he finished peeing all over Tobuscus' shirt.

"God dang it! This will never come out and now I smell like urine!" Tobuscus cried out in agony, much to Gabuscus' amusement.

"Serves you right, dumbass!" laughed Gabuscus.

"Yeah, very funny. Laugh it up. My dog peeing on me and ruining my shirt is just fun for the whole family. You know what? Steven! New shirt!" he demanded as he threw the ruined shirt to the ground.

Tobuscus suddenly was wearing a fresh green Tobuscus shirt. He stood proudly, beaming at his suddenly confused friend.

"Could you always ask Steven to help us out? Hey! Stev-"

"It doesn't work that way, Gabuscus. He only works for me and only does one favor per month."

"So he could've gotten us out of here?"

"Yep."

"But you already used your monthly favor on a new shirt?"

"Yessir."

Gabuscus just stood there with his jaw dropped and his eye twitching.

"Oh! You mean that instead of the shirt, I could've made things much easier by asking Steven right away to get us home. Hmmm...guess I dropped the ball there." Tobuscus chuckled.

Gabuscus began to chuckle. Chuckles became laughs. Laughs became louder and uproarious. Then that became Gabuscus throwing Tobuscus on the button from the other room. Tobuscus came back angry.

"I kept saying I'm sorry! Is that how you respond to apologies, by throwing the apologiser into crushy death rooms!?"

"Just...wait here." Gabuscus commanded as he walked into the room and pulled the paper off the wall.

They heard the scream and footsteps once more. When Gabuscus came out of the room to help, he noticed that the entry room was now a small hallway. The door from whence he came seemed to have dissolved into the wall. New additions to this area included two nightstands which sat on opposite sides of where the door once was, slightly further apart than the candlesticks. There were now two more doors where there where once only walls. This creeped the pair out a bit. Luckily, Gryphon was also there.

"Would you like to save your progress?" he asked in a pleasant tone.

"Yes! For the love of everything that has ever been worshipped - holy or not - please save it!" cried Gabuscus.

"Your progress has been saved. When you die again, you'll return here and not outside. "

"Wait. 'When?'" asked Tobuscus "Don't you mean 'if?' Do you really have that little faith in us?"

"Yes!" replied Gryphon. "You died three times to the first trap in this house. I have no hope for you."

Before Tobuscus could retort, he felt someone bump into him hard in the side. The impact made him stumble, but he eventually regained his balance. Everyone looked over to see a girl wearing a simple off-white sleeveless dress with short blonde hair and green eyes. This disappointed Tobuscus.

"Awww, man! I wanted a hothothothothot woman, not a cutecutecute little girl." he groaned.

The girl stood up. She did not appear happy.

"You idiots!" she yelled "I worked so hard to get out of here! Now thanks to you, I did all of this for nothing!"

Gabuscus walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder, which made things slightly more awkward.

"Call me stupid if you want for asking this, but I assume you got trapped here as well?" he asked.

The girl thought for a moment. "Yes, I got lost and wound of here. This house is full of traps and evil magic. It's a miracle I'm still alive. I was running away from the witch who owns the place. But now I have to go face her again because I'm, once again, trapped here."

"A witch would definitely be a good reason for all this spooky stuff." said Gryphon. "At least you won't have to go it alone this time. You ha- what are you two doing?"

They were curled up in a corner just shuddering and muttering "witch" over and over.

"Anyway, the one in the green shirt is Tobuscus and his jolly purple giant friend is Gabuscus. And you are?"

"Viola." she said with a bit of a smile as she went to pet Gryphon.

Will our heroes be able to trust and help Viola? Can she trust them? Why is Gryphon the bravest one in the group despite being the smallest and youngest? Will this story progress any faster? Find out whenever I feel like writing another chapter.


	3. For the Main Course, Stewbuscus

Chapter 3 - For the main course, Stewbuscus

Getting to know the author - Once upon a time, my cousin let me borrow Shenmue for the Sega Dreamcast (I would pay good money for a Dreamcast 2 if it ever came to be). The game was 4 discs long and was supposed to take a few days to beat. However, I returned the game the very next day, having beaten it in one sitting. *Sigh* Not a proud moment for me. Anyway, back to the story you care about.

The trio, deciding it would be best to stick together, went west to find another door several feet in front of them and a hallway branching off to the left. They decided to check the near door first. It was a plain, dim room with a wicker basket containing one large teddy bear. There was also a note on the wall, which Tobuscus read.

"Bears in the basket." he read. "Silly note. There's only one in there. Can't you count?"

Gabuscus and Viola glared at him. "I think that's a hint, not a statement." said the girl.

"Yeah." Gabuscus began with a smile. "You've been through all this before, right?"

Viola nodded.

"Then solving all these puzzles should be cake!"

"I'm really sorry." Viola frowned. "My memory of all this was erased when I ran into you guys. This witch is pretty determined to kill me."

Gabuscus put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Viola. We won't let her hurt you. Let us worry about the puzzles and you can just relax."

Viola looked up at her new friend and smiled. "Thank you."

"So..." Tobuscus pondered. "I guess there's another teddy bear around here?"

The other two nodded, then the three went back out and down the hallway. There was another door to their right at the end. Through that door was a dim pink room with red carpet. In one corner stood a wood cabinet. Another corner was home to a pile of presents. Off center, near a window, was a desk with an unlit lamp and an open journal on top. The three split up and checked the room.

Gabuscus checked the cabinet. "Opens when the house returns to normal." he read "I wonder what that means. Viola?"

"I'm not sure, but we should leave it alone for now, I guess." she answered, checking the pile of presents. "Hey! I found another teddy bear!"

Her and Gabuscus went to walk over to the door when they noticed Tobuscus looking through the journal, labeled "Witch's Diary."

"I was sick, so no one played with me." he read. "My father and my mother didn't love me."

"Awww..." Gabuscus was being sarcastic. "It's very moving. I instantly forgive this witch for killing us multiple times."

"Hey!" Viola snapped, causing the men to give her weird looks. "She seemed like a very lonely girl when we were friends. She wasn't always evil, just all alone in a world where her time was short and her company was even shorter." Her head was tilted downward with a tear hitting the floor.

"She tried to kill you, and you're defending her?" Tobuscus chimed in. "Wow! Is she your sister?"

"We may as well have been sisters. I was the closest thing to family she had. When her parents died, I pretty much took care of her, unaware that she was a witch at the time. Doctors said she would die soon from her illness. That led to tonight."

"Wanting to make her final moments as comfortable as possible, I defied my father's orders and came here, but the house...changed somehow. Everything was darker, scarier, and wanted me dead. After several hours, I finally made it to Ellen's room. What I saw wasn't my friend, but a monster."

"Ellen had cut off her legs, took out her own eyes, and burned her throat. I was frozen in fear as this...thing was crawling toward me."

*About an hour ago*

What had remained of Ellen was slowly crawling its way toward a frozen Viola. Despite the incredible amount of pain this body was in, it appeared to be smiling.

"Hey, Viola." Ellen's voice called out from within the body. "I found a cure for my illness. Isn't that wonderful?"

Viola took a step back toward the door, shaking her head. "No! You're not Ellen! What the hell are you?"

"What are you talking about? It's still me. Sorry for keeping you in the dark like this." Ellen stopped advancing toward Viola. "I guess I should explain myself. I'm a witch. I became one out of loneliness and sorrow at the thought of a short pathetic life. I've been looking so hard to find a cure all these years. Now, thanks to you, I get to live." Ellen's smile widened and shortly broke into childlike laughter as she continued toward Viola.

"Me? How?" Viola's hand was on the door knob.

"Your body!" Ellen shouted as she lunged after her.

Viola screamed and ran as Ellen gave chase.

*Present time*

"I was about to escape, but then you blew it by running into me!" Viola scolded, teary eyed. She then regained her composure. "She was my friend, and I feel terrible for her, but trying to kill me is where I cross the line. You're right. I shouldn't defend that evil, murderous monster. Let's go to her room and show her-"

"Fascinating story and all," Tobuscus interrupted. "But I got bored and decided to solve our bear problem."

"Really?" Gabuscus was surprised at his friend's ability to solve anything. "How?"

"Well, I got bored, so I took the bear from Viola while she was engrossed in her story. It was too big to fit in the basket, so I went into the other room out of curiosity. There were these scissors chained to this table, so I thought 'The note never specified the condition the other bear had to be in.' I cut off its limbs and then it fit perfectly. I also heard a clicking sound coming from somewhere, like a door unlocking."

"Well, that saves us a bit of time. Well done!" Viola praised.

Tobuscus smiled rather smugly as they walked back to the first room. They stopped as the candles went out. They all took a nervous step back.

"Oooooh!" they heard Gryphon taunt "Are the big bad humans afraid of the dark?"

"What? ...No!" was Tobuscus' rebuttal.

"A little, yeah." Viola answered.

Gabuscus stepped forward toward the near vase. "Nah. It's just startled m-" an unknown force knocked the vase off its stand. It shattered next to his feet. This caused him to make a high pitched scream and tackle Tobuscus. He then buried his head in his chest crying "Pleasedon'tletitgetme! Pleasedon'tletitgetme! Plea-hee-heese!"

"Wimp!" Gryphon taunted some more.

Gabuscus immediately stood back up in a rage. Walking toward Gryphon, he yelled "Listen, mutt! I'll have you know-"

Suddenly, giant killer teddy bear. It burst through the opposite door and chased after our heroes, who all screamed and ran back to the room with the desk.

Shaken with fear for about a minute, Gabuscus nervously opened the door. To his relief, the bear was nowhere to be found. the trio then walked up to the door to the first room. Viola called out to Gryphon. "Is it gone?"

"No." he called back.

They all sat down, defeated.

"Yes, he's gone."

Coming back in, Tobuscus ran toward Gryphon, crying "Save it! Save it! Save it! Save it! Save it! Save it! Save it!"

"Okay!" Gryphon snapped "Your progress has been- oogga boogga!"

Tobuscus, startled, fell backwards, much to Gryphon's delight. "It's been saved, fraidy cat."

The three walked by the shih tzu to the next room. Tobuscus glared at his dog as they moved on. "Not funny!" he scolded.

The next room was about as plain as Tobuscus described. Other than the workbench in a corner, there was an old broken dresser to their right. There were also to teddy bear limbs lying on the floor. Viola went to pick them up.

"Why?" Gabuscus asked.

Viola just shrugged. "You never know."

They all walked through the only other door, located next to the dresser. This appeared to be the dining room. The table and red rug under it were rather large, especially since there were only eight chairs surrounding it with plenty of room for more. There was a fireplace on the far long wall and two doors opposite one another on the far end. Tobuscus walked to the nearest chair and read the note in the table.

"Taste poison" he read, looking at the skull shaped bowl just off center with strange green liquid inside. "No. No taste poison." he shook his head.

"The cook is busy. Lend a hand." Gabuscus read from a note by the very far door. "This here must be the kitchen then."

"Ooooh! Cooking!" Tobuscus beamed. "I love cooking!" he then barged through the door.

The kitchen seemed like a plain, normal kitchen. There was another door to the right, which Viola found locked. The was a china case at the far wall and a table off to the right. To the left, there was a sink, a stove, a counter, a cutting board, an invisible ghost using a butcher knife on said cut...wait. That doesn't seem right.

Viola took a couple of nervous steps toward the ghost, then looked back at the men, whose teeth were chattering.

"Gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-gh..." they stammered. "Ghost!" yelled Tobuscus as he jumped into Gabuscus' arms.

Viola facepalmed. "How is he your friend again?"

"Ghost!" Gabuscus yelled as he jumped into Viola's arms. After holding them up for a few seconds, she sighed in frustration as she dropped them. She then smiled at the ghost.

"Hi!" she waved.

"Hello, there." the ghost answered in a surprisingly pleasant voice, causing the guys to stand up and keep their cool. "Could you guys lend a hand over here? I'm just overwhelmed in here today."

"A ghost..." Gabuscus began. "...wants a hand...in a house...that wants to kill us...and succeeded...I think he literally...yep...not to be trusted."

"I'll lend a hand!" Tobuscus sounded all to happy to help.

Gabuscus' and Viola's jaws dropped simultaneously. "Um...Tobuscus?" the blonde called out.

"What?" Tobuscus answered. "I'm just trying to be a nice guy."

The ghost took a firm grip of Tobuscus' wrist and placed it on the cutting board.

"Ow! Hey! No need to be so pushy! I said I'd help, didn't I?" asked the new helper. "Now, what do you need?"

"A hand." the ghost replied flatly.

"I know, and I'm giving you one." a frustrated Tobuscus argued "What would you like me to do?"

"Hey. Tobuscus?" said Gabuscus.

"What? What is it? Can't you see I'm trying to help this guy cook whatever disgusting smelling thing he-"

"Knife!"

And with that, the knife sliced through Tobuscus' wrist like butter. Blood gushed out as he screamed and writhed on the ground in agony. He eventually calmed down. "Oh! I see what you did there. Lend a 'hand'. You funny little dead guy." he chuckled just before he died.

"Yep. Saw that coming." said Gabuscus.

The ghost threw the hand into whatever he thought passed for stew. After stirring the foul mixture for a second, he looked over at the other two. "Next!" he called out in a more demonic voice.

Gabuscus began to step back. Viola ran up and presented the teddy bear limbs. "Here! Will these work?" she asked, shaking fearfully.

Much to her surprise, the ghost took the limbs. "Hmmm...perfect!" he said, his pleasant voice returning. "This will be plenty! I've no more need for hands. Here, little girl. I don't need this key. Maybe you'll have use for it." he then handed her a silver key.

"Wow!" Gabuscus was amazed. "I guess she was right."

Viola turned back and smiled at him. "Shall we?"

Before Gabuscus could answer, they heard the sound of someone choking and collapsing in the dining room. They heard Tobuscus' voice call out.

"Poison...tastes...awful. Kinda like antifreeze mixed...with...coffee beans and...raw sewage."

"How does he know what those taste like?" Gabuscus, Viola, and the ghost all said at once.

"Also, I think I'm dying...again. I was right...no taste...poi..so..." he passed, again.

Shaking her head, Viola tried to unlock the door, but the key didn't fit.

"Why don't we check this book over here." Gabuscus suggested. "'The Dining of Aristocrats'. This may give us some insight on this key puzzle dealie."

Viola agreed and joined him in looking through the book, setting the key on the table. Tobuscus then come bursting into the kitchen.

"Hey! What did I miss? Are any of you missing a hand? Is that murder cook done using people's hands for ingredients? Guess what you missed? I ate some of that poison and guess what? I died! I'm actually staring to get used to it. Hey, are you listening to me?"

They weren't. This caused Tobuscus to grab the key from the table in anger. They went after him as he stormed into the dining room.

"Oh! You don't care if good ol' Tobuscus dies, do you!?" he yelled "Well, what if your new best friend, Keybuscus, tastes the poison instead, huh!?" he then dropped it in.

"No!" they both shouted as they tackled him. Just before they could kill him again, they heard a loud clicking noise from the kitchen. They all stood up, optimistic. To their relief, their hopes were realized as the locked door in the kitchen was now open. After apologizing to Tobuscus, Viola led the way in.

"Yes!" Tobuscus cheered. "Stairs!"

Viola looked puzzled. "Are you really that excited ab-"

"Yes!" Gabuscus cut her off. "Progress!"

Viola couldn't deny that it was nice that things were finally moving along. She smiled as the trio ascended to the next floor.

"Wheew!" Tobuscus shouted his battle cry and led the way.

What surprises and horrors await our friends as they face the second floor? Will they see that ghost again? What about Gryphon? Will someone other than Tobuscus meet their untimely, inconsequential death? Find out next chapter, unless you've seen or played the Witch's House. Then you'll already know the answers to the first two questions.


	4. Not So Itsy Bitsy

CHAPTER 4 - NOT SO ITSY BITSY

Getting to know the author - On the Halloween before the first Scream movie, I wore the costume that would be used in the film. Unfortunately, all the other kids laughed at me and called me an Animaniac. Being the ungrateful little bastard I was, I sarcastically thanked my mother after school. She didn't take it well. Anyway, here's that damn fourth chapter.

Tobuscus' "Wheew!" was cut short by the image of a purple haired girl with a large red bow in the back. As the image only lasted a moment, those were the only details they could make out. Naturally, this stopped the trio in their tracks.

"V-Ellen?" Viola asked herself, stunned.

"Wait." Tobuscus requested. "That's Ellen? So she's a ghost and a witch at the same time?"

"I don't think so." Viola answered. "If Ellen died, the magic surrounding this house would fade. Besides, she wouldn't dare hurt me. She needs my body, right?"

"Makes sense." Gabuscus replied. "Why ruin a vessel that you'll need to survive?"

Viola nodded. Tobuscus looked confused.

"Why am I just now hearing about this?" he asked in irritation.

"You got bored and wandered off, remember?" Viola asked back.

"Oh, yeah. That does sound like me. So, would you mind telling your little story over again? I promise not to walk away again. I'm too scared to be bored."

After about two minutes telling her story and another twenty convincing the men that this apparition was nothing to be afraid of, Viola led the way upstairs. The second floor hallway consisted of one door to the south near the far end, another door right across from that, a door at the far wall, and another near the stairs on the north wall.

About halfway down on the north side of the hall stood an ominous looking suit of armor holding a spear. Right next to him stood Gryphon. This presented a problem. No one wanted to take a step toward their save point.

"Oh! Are you worried about this thing?" Gryphon asked, looking at the armor. "It's fine. He's harmless."

"You sure about that?" Gabuscus was more than a little suspicious. "Getting impaled is not on my to-do list."

"It's on mine." Tobuscus interjected, receiving looks from everyone else. "What? It's how I wanna go. It's even in my will. I'm to be impaled should I be on the brink of death with enough time for someone to find an object with which to impale me."

"Dibs!" claimed Gryphon and Gabuscus simultaneously.

"I doubt you'll live long enough to do that, poochy."

"I doubt your steroids will last you until then."

"Don't make me come over there and punt you!"

"Come at me, bro! Oh, right. My friend over here scares the poop out of you."

"Hey! I'm armed with a thirteen-year-old girl and I'm not afraid to use her." he picked up Tobuscus as he said that. "Umm...where's Viola?"

"Can you please save our progress?" she asked, having walked over to Gryphon during the quarrel. She was now petting him.

"Done." Gryphon complied, then looked back at the men. "Was that so hard?"

"Unbe-friggin-lievably!" Tobuscus responded, getting a confused dog look from his shih tzu. "You gotta put yourself in our place, man. We're sick of dying."

Gryphon looked over to the stairs where a black cat was sitting as if waiting on someone. The two exchanged nods. He then looked at Viola.

"Viola?" he asked. "Could you come downstairs with me? We need to talk."

The blonde simply nodded and followed the house pets downstairs, leaving the men alone.

"No!" Tobuscus cried out. "Our save point! We'll be stuck here forever! God mother flipping dangit!"

Gabuscus put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's okay. I have an idea. Remember old video games where you would switch off after each death? I think that as long as one of us can stay alive, we won't lose any progress."

"So if one of us dies, the other one just has to stay alive long enough for a respawn?" Tobuscus cheered up a bit.

"Exactly. So let's be careful about this and we'll be fine. Let's start by going over to that note."

The pair walked over to the far door, which was locked. Tobuscus read the note. "'Save the butterfly.' Seems simple enough. We should split up and check these two rooms here."

"No. I was thinking more along the lines of one of us walking into a room while the other one waits outside until the first person either dies or says that it's safe."

"Pfft...that's boring! Besides, what are the odds that we'll both die at the same time in different rooms?"

Gabuscus sighed and groaned. "Fine. Whatever. Do what you want. I'm going in here." he said as he walked through the south door.

The south room seemed a bit out of place and pleasant compared to the other rooms. The blue walls would be beautiful if not for the numerous cobwebs. Two display counters with glass covers in this room housed several model bugs, including a blue-winged butterfly. Unfortunately, Gabuscus couldn't remove the cover, but figured that this model would be important to solving this floor's puzzle. Just to his left lay a small hallway.

This hallway branched off after only about ten feet. To the left was an old dirty bookshelf with an out of place piece of scrap paper that read 'rope in a barrel'. The other way turned a second corner which led to a cleaner bookcase. The case was fully packed except for an empty space that would fit one book, maybe two. Figuring there was nothing he could do here, Gabuscus left the room.

While all that was going on, Tobuscus went to explore the room right across from the one his friend entered. Almost immediately upon entry, he screamed and jumped back several feet at the site of a ghost to his right. Upon further, very nervous investigation, he learned that this ghost was having trouble tying a few books together.

Glad to get away from the ghost, he decided to check the eight bookcases for useful information. He learned that keys don't unlock doors in this house and that the house changes based on the witch's magic. There was a short story on one shelf labelled "A Funny Story". Oddly enough, Tobuscus found the story rather depressing. However, a spirit sitting in a nearby chair found it hilarious. The laughter that erupted spooked the green-shirted goof, causing him to stumble backwards and fall, knocking down a few pieces of paper off another shelf.

Looking at the papers, an article caught Tobuscus' eye. It read as follows:

'XX/XX: XX Residence Burns Down

XX and his wife XX were found dead among the wreckage.

The bodies were found to have stab wounds, so it is suspected they were murdered and the building then set ablaze.

Additionally, XX's only daughter Ellen (currently 7) has been missing since the fire.

The police-'

"Hmmm...why does it cut off there?" Tobuscus asked himself. Deciding that he did all he could for this room for now, he walked back out to meet with Gabuscus. It took a couple minutes to exchange information.

"Is it just me or is something off about the article and Viola's story?" Tobuscus asked.

"It's not just you. Something doesn't sit right with me, as well. That article you showed me is six years old. No one could leave a little girl alone for that long. Anyway, we should finish this floor before we waste any more time." Gabuscus suggested. They began to walk over to the north room by the stairs.

"Sh*t! It's moving!" Gabuscus screamed as he hid behind Tobuscus. The two kept screaming and hiding behind one another until they backed into the locked door. It took a few moments for them to notice that the armor moved away from them and down the stairs. Chuckling a bit at the unnecessary freakout, they headed to the one unexplored room on the floor.

This room was very dimly lit. Black walls surrounded the dark gray floorboards. A thirty foot hall led a room where several barrels were scattered about. Coming out of the hallway and to the left, Tobuscus read yet another sign.

"'The spider has poor eyes. He can't even tell colors apart.' This should be easy." he said as he set his eyes on a butterfly caught in a large web in the opposite corner.

Gabuscus was busy looking through the barrels. After looking through five barrels, he finally found the rope he was looking for. "Okay. Looks like we got what we came for." he said, holding up the rope.

"Okay. The butterfly has been saved. Let's go!" Tobuscus said, holding up the butterfly. This made Gabuscus' jaw drop.

"What did you do!?" he yelled. "Rope...book...shelf...model...butterfly...GIANT F**KING SPIDER WITH BAD EYES! HOW DID YOU NOT CONNECT THE DOTS!?"

"Woah, potty mouth. Calm down. First of all, connecting the dots is for children."

"You are a child! In the f**king head!"

"Stop that! Secondly, if I did screw up, we would've been killed already."

"Hmmm..." Gabuscus thought about it. "Maybe the trap was to solve the puzzle. Of course. Make the solution so obvious that no one would try it. It's actually pretty smart. Hell, let's get going." he set the rope down as they headed toward the door.

"I knew you would see it my way." Tobuscus said with a smug grin. "Sometime the best solution is the most obvio- hey! This door won't open. Gabuscus?"

He turned to see his purple-shirted friend, now headless, fall over. Looking up from the body, he noticed eight huge beady eyes locked onto their next meal. He didn't even have time to scream as the monstrous spider lunged in for the kill.

The next thing he felt was something hitting him hard in the face. The next thing he saw as he fell back onto the floor was the left fist of his furious friend. Trying to calm down, Gabuscus spoke.

"Wait here. You are so lucky we didn't get much done." he said while pointing menacingly. He then proceeded to retrieve the rope from the spider room.

They walked into the ghost room together to give him the rope. He, in turn, gave them The Book of Death, which Tobuscus wanted to read badly, but was denied permission. They made their way to the display room and then the bookcase. An idea then hit Gabuscus.

"If we put this back now, we're both gonna die. Hey, Tobuscus, would you like to read this book?"  
he asked, holding the book out like an offering.

"Would I?" Tobuscus asked as he snagged the book and opened it. He quickly began yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Man, this is boring. No (yawn) murder tips. No violence. Nothing fun at all. It's boring me to dea-" he fell over, having just died of boredom.

"Had to be done." Gabuscus said as he picked up the now closed book and placed it on the shelf. The sound of sliding glass could be heard from the display cases. He took a few cautious steps in the direction of the noise. 'Okay, so far, so good.' he thought. 'Just a little furth-' "GAH!"

A skull about the size of Tobuscus came from around the corner and gave chase. It was pretty fast, but Gabuscus was faster, and just about at the door when it opened suddenly and knocked him down, allowing the skull to be begin devouring its latest victim. Tobuscus stood in the doorway.

"Worst book ever." said Tobuscus as he casually walked over to the butterfly model, completely oblivious to the giant skull and the screams of his friend. Just as he picked it up though, he noticed that the skull just ended Gabuscus' life and had its sockets set on the new meal in the room.

"Stay back!" he yelled, throwing the model, which shattered on the skull's forehead. "Whoops! Um...that was completely unavoidable."

Tobuscus, like his newly revived friend, was too fast for the skull. He easily got past the skull and closed the door behind him. To his right was a smiling Gabuscus, unaware of the shattering of vital puzzle pieces.

"Good. You made it out." he said. "Now let's swap the butterflies and get out of here."

"Yeah. About that, Gabuscus."

"First name: Gabe. Last name: Buscus. Try thinking of it that way."

"You sure do. Anyway, funny story, and totally not my fault. You see-"

"You broke the model, didn't you?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I sound like an idiot, but I guess you could say that..."

(A black eye, four shattered ribs, six teeth, and one minute later)

"Hey! Spidey!" Gabuscus called out as he pulled the butterfly from the web. "Chow time! It's your favorite, Arachnid Kibbles 'n' Idiot!

"Why!?" Tobuscus asked in sheer horror while trying to break free from his friend's death grip.

"Because that skull disappeared after you closed the door, so this is the only way we can start over." Gabuscus sounded more annoyed than pissed. Apparently, beating Tobuscus up was somewhat therapeutic. After the spider took a second helping of our heroes' heads, they returned to the suit of armor.

After a few minutes, the pair arrived at the same point as before, this time being successful in retrieving the model. Once more, they found themselves in the spider room.

"Now can we save the butterfly?" Tobuscus asked.

"Now we can save the butterfly." Gabuscus answered. "Hey! Put the model in the web! I want to walk out of here with my head intact!"

"Oh, yeah, right. This thing." Tobuscus put the model in the web, then ran for the door. Without warning, a hole opened up in the floor near the door. He tripped over this hole and ran smack into the door. He would have fallen backward into the hole had Gabuscus not caught him.

Once they were out the door, Viola, Gryphon, and the black cat came back up the stairs. The butterfly flew out of Tobuscus' hands and into the locked door. With a click, the door unlocked and the path to the next floor was open.

"Wow." Gryphon said, somewhat amused. "What oddly convenient timing."

"That can't be a coincidence." said Gabuscus.

"I don't care it is or not." Viola said, sounding more irritated than she was before going downstairs. "We need to get moving...now. The sooner we get out, the better." She then hastily walked off to the third floor. Shrugging their shoulders, the men decided to follow. Tobuscus remembered to save just before he made it to the door.

After three humans left, the black cat looked at Gryphon. He spoke in a deep raspy voice.

"It was a mistake trusting those guys, dog. They won't suspect anything, and will thus condemn an innocent girl to her eternal doom. When that happens, you'll share her fate."

Gryphon chuckled at this. "They're a bit smarter than they let on. They'll see through everything, undoing all the suffering you caused over the past six years. Ellen's been acting suspicious and contradicting herself this whole time. I'm sure they at least know that something's not right."

"If you want to be overconfident in those fools, be my guest, but know this, Gryphon. Your faith will be your end."

"Drama queen!" Gryphon sounded bored. "You're boring me. (See, told you.) I'm gonna go see how they're all doing. You coming?"

"Sure. I could use a good laugh. They are an entertaining bunch."

"That's the one thing we agree on."

And with that, the two pets left to catch up to their humans. What did they discuss with Viola? Why is Gryphon's soul at risk? Does he have a history with the black cat? Find out next chapter as we delve into their backstory.

AN: I appreciate all those who have read the story so far. Updates will be at random, when work isn't kicking my ass. Next chapter will be far more serious, but should still have enough lols.


	5. A Friendship Forged from Finger Food

Chapter 5: A Friendship Forged from Finger Food

Getting to know the author: I tried to read the Twilight books. Managed to get through a book-and-a-half before giving up on it. My verdict: not enough Belmont. This long overdue chapter will be extra long to compensate. I was originally going to write two chapters covering the backstory between Gryphon and Viola, but you'll get the whole thing here. Rest assured, I have not abandoned my dozens of faithful readers. You will get a finished story before next spring. Also, to save time, I am going to cut back on some of the imagery as I assume you've seen Toby's playthrough of this game. Okay, enough about me. Let's take a trip through time, shall we?

At the park near Ellen's house, three weeks before the frisbee incident that would lead his owner to several untimely deaths, Gryphon was dashing for his life. Apparently, being adorable was not enough to justify snagging a chicken leg from a toddler at a family picnic.

'Well, if my human would remember to feed me once in- crap!' the shih tzu thought to himself, having dropped the loot. Going back to get it wasn't an option since a couple of very angry preteen siblings were in hot pursuit.

After about another minute, Gryphon became too tired to continue. Looking behind him, he realized that the kids gave up the chase. The relieved dog could finally relax. He figured their parents called them off, then debated on whether or not to go back for the chicken. He was still hungry after all, and he doubted those humans would want that leg back. Gryphon started to make his way back before another smell caught his interest. Accompanying that smell was the sound of a girl crying.

Following his trusty nose and ears, it took our tiny hero no time at all to find the source of both stimulants. One was a box of chicken nuggets sitting on a bench. The other was a golden braided girl with green eyes and a simple white dress. Gryphon knew he'd have to be a bit more diplomatic to score some food this time. Also, the guilt of stealing food from a crying child would not bode well for his conscience.

'Okay, Gryphon.' he thought. 'Time to put on that charm the girls love.' Upon finishing that thought, he sat down, whining and wagging his tail. This caught the girl's attention immediately.

"Oh! Hi, puppy!" she said through her tears, trying to cheer up at this new sight. "You're hungry, aren't you? Here you go. I hope you don't mind them cold." She forced a smile as she sat the box on the ground. Before Gryphon could dig into his long awaited meal, he suddenly felt that something was a bit...off.

"Warm or cold, chicken's chicken." Gryphon said, hoping the girl wouldn't scream at the reality of a talking dog. To his surprise, she was quite calm. He finally began eating as the girl began talking back to him.

"I'm glad you like it. My friend doesn't like them at all. She's so stupid! Who doesn't like chicken nuggets?" She was about to rant until she noticed that the box was empty and Gryphon was sitting next to her on the bench.

"I know, right?" Gryphon responded. "It's only the greatest invention ever, next to the pizza Tobuscus leaves in the fridge overnight and never notices that I help myself to- but that's not important! Why are you not scared of me?"

"Because you're cute, silly!" she answered with a smile that quickly faded. "Do you believe in miracles, Mr. Puppy?"

"You can call me Gryphon. Is that what you think this is? A miracle?"

"I think so Mr. Gryphon, bu-"

"Just Gryphon is fine."

"Okay, Gryphon. I'm Viola." She began to pet him. "You talking to me feels like a miracle, but it's my friend who needs one."

"Is that why you're so sad?"

Viola nodded. Tears began to form again. "She's been sick her whole life! Her parents hated her and now they're dead! She has no friends and the doctors say she's gonna die alone!"

At this point, Viola was shaking with multiple emotions: fear of losing someone, pity for a dying girl who has only known suffering, rage against those who neglected a sick child, and guilt from not being able to stop the inevitable from happening. Gryphon felt all those emotions and curled up in her lap. His presence was somewhat soothing. Viola soon got her body back under control, but her crying couldn't be contained.

"It's not fair, Gryphon!" she managed to get out between sniffs. "No one deserves such a miserable life!"

"I know." Gryphon spoke softly. "It's very sweet that you care so much for your friend, but do you think she'd want you to be just as miserable?"

"Huh?"

"Your friend, what's her name?"

"Ellen."

"Okay. So you're the only friend she has, right? You've done so much and felt so strongly for her. It's probably the only bit of love she's ever experienced and will ever feel. If she's really your friend and feels just as strongly to finally have someone in her life who cares, then you're the last person on earth that she would want to feel just as terrible as she does. Whatever comfort and happiness you bring her in her final days should be reflected in you."

Viola hugged Gryphon. "You're right, and I know that. Why can't I stop feeling so awful?"

"Because you humans are idiots who dwell on too many negative things." This got a small chuckle out of Viola. "So, let's lay off the sad stuff for now and talk about something else."

For the next hour, they talked about whatever came to mind: favorite foods, friends, toys, what Viola wanted to be when she grew up (a veterinarian), Gryphon's love/hate relationship with the humans in his life, and the weather. After a while, the pair decided that it would be best to head home

While walking her home, Gryphon agreed to meet with her in that same spot every day until Ellen's passing. Happy as he was to make a new friend, Gryphon couldn't shake the feeling the something was amiss. He went to bed every night for the next two weeks with increasing unease of something really wrong brewing near where the daily hangouts with his new friend took place.

It was three days before the frisbee incident and Gryphon had to figure out what that feeling was. He cut off Viola's story about her school day with a request he knew he should have made from day 1.

"Can we go see Ellen together?" he asked seemingly out of nowhere.

"Really?" Viola answered. "I'm not sure I want to feel sad again today."

"Hey! What did I tell you about the sad stuff? Eh, I guess it's only natural for you humans. I just think I should see her. She should see me, too. If her life was as terrible as you say, then I'm sure she's never had a pet. Maybe I can help ease her pain a bit."

Oblivious to the shih tzu's bluff, Viola was delighted to hear this. She picked Gryphon up and hugged him almost uncomfortably tight.

"Okay!" she agreed with the biggest, most sincere smile she made since the two have met. "Let's go. I'll bet she'd love to make another friend."

While their usual hangout spot was infrequently visited by other people, Gryphon couldn't help but notice that the path to Ellen's house was alarming secluded, especially during the park's peak hours. After a half-mile walk, they passed a large yard with a few dead trees and several stumps leading up to a lone two-story house. The oak door leading in was unlocked per Ellen's request to Viola upon her first visit, so Gryphon had been told.

"Ellen! I'm back!" exclaimed Viola happily as the two entered the house. "I brought another friend to play with!"

'I don't like this at all!' Gryphon thought as the feeling of ill intent nearly became overwhelming. Worried as he was, he kept himself from showing it as he followed Viola upstairs and into Ellen's bedroom. On the bed lay a girl around Viola's age. This sickly child had her long purple hair tied in the back with a large red bow.

"Oh! A puppy!" Ellen cried weakly with excitement. She then had a bit of a coughing fit, but managed to get it under control as Viola carried said "puppy" over to the bed. Gryphon could tell a couple things: this girl really liked purple and she only had a few days left, a week at best. Whatever pity the dog felt vanished as he realized that a good deal of this powerful evil he had been feeling was emitting from her.

'If Ellen isn't even half of the source of this darkness, then we're in trouble!' Gryphon thought as Viola placed him on the bed. Before he could take that first cautious step toward Ellen's feebly outstretched arms, the other evil source revealed itself.

A black cat jumped out of nowhere and landed between Gryphon and Ellen. As if the energy he felt from these two new foes wasn't intimidating enough, the hissing and swiping from the cat sent Gryphon into a panicked rush out of the house with a speed he never knew he had. He made it back to the bench where he met Viola, discovering that the cat never bothered giving chase. He calmed down a bit. By the time Gryphon caught his breath, Viola came into view, calling after him.

"Are you okay?" she asked as soon as she was within normal speaking distance. "I had no idea she had a cat. I'm so sorry, but it looks like you two won't get to play."

"You shouldn't play with her, either!" Gryphon yelled, letting out an uncontrolled bark. "There's so much about her and that cat you don't know!

"Like what?" asked a curious Viola, who sat on the bench. Gryphon climbed up on her lap, sat up, looked her in the eyes and spoke.

"They are evil! I've felt it since the day we met. Ellen and that cat are not the be trusted. You said you believe in miracles, right? Well, here's one: a talking dog is saving you from a fate worse than death. Viola, you cannot see Ellen again!"

Viola looked puzzled for a moment, then began to chuckle. She could barely contain fits of giggling.

"Viola, I'm serious!" Gryphon shouted, barking loudly and growling in her face. This frightened her to the point of pushing him off and whimpering.

"What's wrong with you?" demanded a scared, sobbing Viola. "I thought you cared for Ellen as much as I did. How do you show it? By running from a cat and calling it and her evil? I thought you were joking, but are you really that jealous of her that you'll attack me for my attention?"

"What?" Gryphon asked, confused at this strange argument. "No, that's not it at all! I really wanted her to be happy, but now I know she's up to no good. Viola, you have to believe me!"

"Just...go away...please." Viola was crying as she was on the day Gryphon found her. Defeated, he walked home.

That night, Gryphon could barely sleep. This was partly due to Tobuscus loudly trying to build a machine that would instantly heat Hot Pockets to the perfect temperature and then dispense them onto a plate. All this was done while singing about his progress in four part harmony.

However, the main reason he was up was the same reason Viola was about to break down 19 days ago. The fear he felt was from knowing what could happen to Viola in the coming days. The sorrow was from the idea of losing who had quickly become one of his closest friends. The rage came from the hatred of Ellen and her cat, who had pretty much warped Viola's emotions to the point of owning her. The worst of it, though, was the combination of guilt from allowing her to fall into their hands and how powerless he felt when his attempt to reason with her failed.

As dawn approached to clear away a nearly restless night, Gryphon decided that he wasn't going to give up on Viola. He'd get to their bench after a short nap and some food. It was a school day, so he had plenty of time to get there before she even had the chance to visit Ellen.

Unfortunately, Gryphon's nap took much longer than he planned. It was already after 3. More time was wasted by Tobuscus' reluctance to let him out in the rain. By the time he got to the park, he was already late for the time when they would usually meet up. He feared they would not be meeting up today for reasons other than the weather.

'Dammit! I'm too late!' Gryphon pondered as hopelessness begin to weigh him down. By the time he came to a stop, though, he saw something that picked his spirits up.

A man, looking much older than Viola, was standing between her and the path to Ellen's house. He appeared to be lecturing her- well, half lecturing, half yelling at her. Through he wasn't close enough to get to know this man, he could tell from his smell at about twenty feet away that this man was someone close to Viola, perhaps her father or older brother. Whoever it was, Gryphon was grateful he was intervening and likely preventing disaster. He decided to listen in on what was left of the conversation.

"-and you believe some crazy superstition!?" the child yelled, half-crying.

"Whether it's true or not, I'm not allowing you to spend any more time with that 'friend' of yours!" countered the man. "Think, Viola! Her parents have been dead for six years and she's still around. Have you ever seen anyone other than her or yourself at her house?

Viola opened her mouth in protest, but was quickly hushed as the older man continued.

"The police gave up on her, and any doctors who may have seen her would've reported her. A little girl living on her own wouldn't go unnoticed by anyone, much less acted upon."

"But Dad, everyone hates her! I'm all she has! This girl cannot be some evil witch! Please! Come with me! See for yourself that Ellen is just a scared little girl who doesn't want to die alone!" Viola was tugging her father's arm now, but he wouldn't budge.

"The witch will die alone! No daughter of mine is going to another statistic!" With that, it seemed all was won. Viola dropped her head in defeat.

"I'll never forgive you." she said soft and cold.

"I can live with that." replied her father, mocking her tone. They both walked away in silence. Gryphon felt a massive burden being lifted from his tiny frame.

'Thank you, Viola's dad!' he thought while walking home. 'The man must've done his homework on Ellen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped her. What did he mean when he mentioned another statistic? Has Ellen done this before? Will she do it again? Oh well, at least I know she won't get Viola.'

The next day, Gryphon became curious as to whether or not Viola would expect him at their bench. To his surprise, he found her there. It wasn't her presence that surprised him. He knew in the back of his mind that the girl would at least try to defy her father, if not succeed in doing so. The surprise came in the form of her expression. While it was usually an odd mix of sorrow and content, today it seemed she was perfectly calm and pondering something.

"I'm sorry." she told Gryphon as he approached, giving her a break from her current train of thought. "I know everything about her now. She confirmed everything Daddy told me."

"I'm glad you came to your senses." Gryphon said while licking her hand. "What were you thinking about?"

"How all those other kids abandoned her just like I'm being forced to."

This made Gryphon tilt his head sideways in disbelief. Viola, not noticing this, continued.

"She was just a playmate to them until they learned about her curse. It was then that they showed their true colors as 'friends'. I won't run away like they did."

"They didn't run, Viola! They died!"

"They ran! No one can find them! No one wants to find them! I won't be like them. But...I'm scared."

"Of course, you are. That means you need to stay away from her."

"But she's just as scared, Gryphon. She us going to die with this curse without knowing any sort of love."

"Except yours!" Gryphon barked "Your love is enough for anyone! Ellen will just have to make due with what you gave her!"

"That's not enough, not for her. That's why I decided that I'm going to take her up on her proposal to switch bodies for a day."

"WHAT!" Gryphon shouted.

Viola was aloof in her own little world at this point, paying no mind to the protesting pup. "I'll have to prepare myself. Tomorrow, Ellen will get to spend the day in my shoes." With that, she walked home, leaving a stunned Gryphon at the bench.

Gryphon slept well enough that night, for he knew the following day would bring the absolute final chance to save his friend. He was dreading the thought of losing her all day until he heard Tobuscus and Gabuscus talk about going to the park.

'I can't believe I'm about to do this, but I'll need their help to save her.' he thought as he took off for the park, getting there well before the Buscus duo and thankfully, before Viola went to "help" Ellen.

Gryphon stood as tall as a shih tzu could possibly stand between her and Ellen's house. It was as effective as one would expect a shih tzu sized barrier to be, as Viola walked around him and down the path.

"You worry too much, Gryphon." she said dryly. "I'm just giving a friend one good day in her life while she still has one."

"Do you not realize that once you do this, you'll never get your body back?" the dog asked as they travelled side by side.

"I trust her, so I'm not worried."

"I am! For the same reason you trust her, too! Let's forget for a moment that she's a witch. That makes her a scared little girl who's found a way out of a horrible fate that - and it really hurts to say this - was meant for her. You're not supposed to die today! She is!"

"I can't let her go without knowing a family, Gryphon. Nothing will change my mind on this."

"Viola!" Gryphon ran in front of her to look her in the eyes again. He whined and wagged his tail. "You're my friend and I love you! I'm begging you! Please don't do this!"

Viola picked the dog up and kissed him on the top of his head. "I love you, too. Mr. Puppy. Thank you for being a good friend. Please understand that this is not goodbye. I promise that you will see me again." With that, she set him on the ground and walked the last hundred feet toward the house. As she entered, Gryphon felt a familiar evil that turned his sadness into rage.

"Show yourself, cat!" he shouted.

The cat descended from the top of one of the dead trees. Upon touching the ground a deep, demonic laughter escaped his mouth. No words were exchanged as the cat slowly approached Gryphon. As the gap between them shrank to less than a foot, Gryphon's anger got the better of him.

He lunged at the cat, who jumped up in shock. The cat landed a couple feet behind Gryphon and pounced in for the kill. Gryphon reacted just in time to flip the cat over. He landed on his feet, but couldn't find his bearings before Gryphon had his jaws locked around the feline's neck and pinned to a trunk. The cat laughed at this.

"You think killing me will save the girl? Ha! You simple, stupid, silly creature! Viola was under my influence well before you came along. Besides, this is but one of many vessels for me to inhabit. Do you think you can destroy all of them in a vain attempt to rescue a lost cause?"

The demon-cat's words caused Gryphon let go and back up. The shih tzu gathered his thoughts and came up with an idea rather quickly.

"Okay, so I can't truly beat you in a fight. What if I beat you in a game of chance?"

"Are you suggesting a deal with the Devil? Sorry, that's my boss and you ain't worth his time. I will, however, make a deal with you myself."

"You seem a lot less intimidating now." Gryphon sighed.

"Hey, shut up! I'm a bit out if practice! I've spent the last six years with a sick little girl who calls me 'Cuddlecutie' and merely needed to say 'boo' to scare all the little kids that come here to get devoured! Make no mistake, I am a legend among demons!"

"Sure thing, Cuddlecutie." Gryphon said, barely suppressing laughter. "If I'm gonna take you seriously, I need to know your real name."

"About that. Umm...I've gone by that name for so long, I forgot what my real name is."

Gryphon couldn't hold back anymore. A demon who goes by the name "Cuddlecutie" was too much to take in. His uproarious laughter took a good five minutes to get under control. It was then he regained focus on his mission.

"Okay, Cuddlecutie. Hah! Anyway, I'd like to make a bet. You in?"

"Of course, dog. Name your terms."

"It's Gryphon, and here goes. We both know that Ellen's not going to give Viola's body back to her and Viola won't listen to reason. What to you say I take this into my own hands. If I can take two people-"

Gryphon was cut off by the sound of a girl screaming.

"Viola! No!" he yelled toward the house.

"It's done!" Cuddlecutie declared. "You've stalled for too long, Gryphon. Name your terms now or Viola is gone forev-"

The cat was cut off by an intense rumbling of the ground. The quaked knocked them both off their feet. By the time they regained their footing, the house had grown greatly in size.

"Hmm, it seems your Viola still has some fight left in her. It seems Ellen's magic is hers from now until she dies, which can be at any moment." Cuddlecutie began laughing.

"What if I can make Ellen give her body back? Will that save Viola?"

"Good luck convincing her. She'll never do it. Ah!" Cuddlecutie had to jump out of the way of an orange frisbee that came crashing down at an alarming speed.

"Okay, no more distractions!" Gryphon demanded. "This gets settled now. I know the two guys who are going to come for that frisbee. If I can take them through that mansion, most likely full of death traps now, and convince them that Ellen has taken Viola's body, then the girls will switch bodies again and you'll give up every soul you've claimed in the last decade, including Ellen's and her parents' souls."

"Interesting." Cuddlecutie responded. "If they don't."

"You keep all those souls as well as the two dummies coming this way."

"I'm not sure, two extra souls isn't nearly enough incentive for me to take such a risk. Sweeten the deal and I just may take your bet."

"If you win, you'll also get my soul. How's that?"

"Perfect! Your dog soul would be worth twice as much as all the humans souls I've collected with this house so far. Hell, I feel so good about this that I'll give you a few little gifts. While the witch's magic is still around, you and your friends will have an unlimited number of lives. Any progress they make through the house on the way to rescue Viola can be saved merely by asking you."

"Like a video game?" Gryphon half asked, half sighed.

"Yeah. Sure. Why not. Video games are awesome."

"...continue."

"In return, you are not to tell them or give them any hints as to which girl is which. That is something they must figure out by themselves." Cuddlecutie then pulled a piece of paper into existence. "Here is the contract we just discussed. I'm going to sign it. Now, if you're okay with the terms of our wager, you'll need to sign it, as well. Unless you don't mind Vi-"

Gryphon snagged the contract and signed it. Cuddlecutie took it, laughing maniacally as he disappeared into the house. The sound of his owner calling for "discbuscus" was Gryphon's cue to head over to the frisbee and wait for his last hopes at saving his chicken nugget sharing friend.

About an hour later, Gryphon, Cuddlecutie, and Ellen, who now had Viola's body, came down the stairs into the kitchen. Ellen leaned back against the wall opposite the door to the staircase. Gryphon sat next to her. Cuddlecutie stood on the kitchen table. It was Gryphon who spoke first.

"Listen, Ellen. There's a way out and no one has to lose their soul to this douche."

"I'm not giving this body back, pooch." replied Ellen. "I feel so much better in this body. I can move. I'm not hurting. I have a new life waiting for me."

"How many lives did you steal for just the one!" Gryphon growled.

"Now, now children." Cuddlecutie interjected before anything had a chance to escalate. "Viola, I need you to help me out here. We kinda made a bet on whether or not those guys upstairs would figure you out by the time you re-encounter your old body. You've been screwing up your story. My ass is on the line here and I nee-"

"Wait!" Gryphon cut him off. "I thought we were supposed to present Ellen her options at this time, not convince her to do your bidding."

"What options?" Ellen asked. "What bet?"

The animals ignored her. Cuddlecutie began. "I'm not sure what you thought this meeting was about, but I'm trying to win a bet here."

"So am I," Gryphon argued. "But I'd like to let her know what going on without manipulating her like a dumb cheater.

"What's going on!?" Ellen demanded.

"I'm a dumb cheater?" Cuddlecutie ignored his witch again. "You're just as stupid, if not more. Who failed time and time again to save Viola from my influence? Who put the fate of his soul and 78 others in the hands of a moron and his victim of a friend?"

"Hey!" Ellen cried out, hoping for answers. Of course she was getting nothing accomplished with her words.

"Who forgot his own frigging name?" Gryphon retorted. "And 78 souls in ten years. Wow! You really are the - how'd you put it - 'legend among demons'!"

"I'll have you know that's a lot! A lot of work goes into claiming a soul. Yours will be by far the easiest to claim, and you're worth 200 human souls!"

"Brag while you can, fleabag. Soon enough, your name won't be your only laughable feature."

"Like 'Gryphon' is much better. You're a dog! Your owner - Two Biscuits, was it - might as well have named you 'kitty hippo!'"

Ellen was filling the sink up with cold water while the pets' argument slipped to the maturity levels of "my favorite fictional character can beat up your favorite fictional character." She couldn't really make sense of their nonsense as she picked them up and gave each of them an unwanted dip, effectively shutting them up.

"Now, can we get down to business?" Ellen asked sternly, receiving two humble nods in response.

"What was the bet?" she asked.

Cuddlecutie answered. "I already told you about our bet, but not the consequences, so here goes. If they don't figure you out you get out of here in one piece, I win and will acquire Viola's, Tobuscus', Gabuscus', and Gryphon's souls. If they see through you, the dog wins and all my work over the last ten years will be undone. That mean you would be free as well."

"You mentioned options." Ellen said. "What options do I have and how will they affect anything?"

"You options are simple." Gryphon answered. "You can confess the truth and willingly give Viola's body back or you can try to keep up your failing charade in an effort to leave on your own. Basically, the outcome of our bet relies on your actions. Bear in mind that you'll eventually have to give up either your body or your soul."

"What? No!" Ellen began to tear up. "You can't put the pressure on me! I was about to die knowing only loneliness, illness, and neglect? I was scared, so I got desperate! Now you're saying a choice I made when I was seven will cost me my body or my soul? I've come too

Gryphon and Cuddlecutie began at the same time. "Ellen, your parents-"

"Save it, you two!" Ellen stopped them short. "I'm leaving with this body and with my soul intact. I will not cut my life short to preserve my soul, nor will I throw my soul away for another shot a life. Was that all you two had to say to me?"

The pets nodded, then followed Ellen upstairs where they would rejoin the Super Buscus Bros, who were ready to tackle the third floor.

What dangers await our heroes on the third floor? Will Ellen have a change of heart? Will the dog and cat at least pretend to get along? Which Buscus will die more? Will you be surprised? Will the next chapter go up before Thanksgiving? All this and maybe a bit more next chapter.

Thanks for sticking with me for this lengthy chapter. I know it wasn't very funny, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Regular lols and deaths return next chapter.


End file.
